Fall rhubarb with apple chutney
Rhubarb is delicious in the spring, and again in the fall, when apples are ripe for the picking and I have orchards around me. I came across this recipe on Well Preserved »
The flavours in this chutney will likely develop for several weeks or months. Be patient while the flavours get to know each other I often wait 6-12 weeks before settling in to a new concoction like this. Alternatively, it can be a great deal of fun to open a new jar every few weeks and taste the progression of flavour.
Like the author, I also don’t each much bread, but I do love jams on scones, biscuits, quick breads, muffins and the like. It is also particularly delicious on cheese, as she also recommended. I personally love chutney on brie. Sadly, she appears never to have picked rhubarb in the fall. It is really delicious, but I cheated in this case and used spring rhubarb and apples on hand (so the pectin will be low).
- 4 cups apples, diced, cored and peeled – recommend firm cooking apples, like those for pie
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups rhubarb
- zest and juice of one lemon (I seeded it and chucked in the whole thing)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup dried cranberries (I used one cup whole because it’s what I had on hand)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
Bring the first 5 ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Stir often to prevent it from burning.
Add the rest of the ingredients and gently boil for an additional 15 minutes until it allows you to heap it on a spoon (i.e. thickens considerably and reaches about 220-222F on a candy thermometer; this is pectin-free like the cherry jam).
Fish out the lemon, then fill hot-sterilized half pint (1 cup) jars and post-process in a hot water bath for 10-minutes.
